31 h. ago Boosting productivity will be main priority of my autumn budget, Reeves says

Exclusive: Chancellor says ‘investment and reform are our tools’ as she pushes back against mounting tax speculationRachel Reeves: Labour has fixed the foundations – now we must build a stronger economy for a renewed BritainRachel Reeves has promised to use her autumn budget to prioritise fixing Britain’s dismal record on productivity as she sought to downplay mounting tax speculation with a focus on economic growth.Setting out her priorities for the budget for the first time, the chancellor said tackling the efficiency of the economy through higher investment and a fresh assault on planning rules would form the backbone of her tax and spending plans. Continue reading...

Politics

31 h. ago Boosting productivity will be main priority of autumn budget, Reeves says

Exclusive: Chancellor focuses on investment and planning rules as she dismisses talk of tax rises as ‘speculation’Rachel Reeves: Labour has fixed the foundations – now we must build a stronger economy for a renewed BritainRachel Reeves has promised to use her autumn budget to prioritise fixing Britain’s dismal record on productivity as she sought to downplay mounting tax speculation with a focus on economic growth.Setting out her priorities for the budget for the first time, the chancellor said tackling the efficiency of the economy through higher investment and a fresh assault on planning rules would form the backbone of her tax and spending plans. Continue reading...

Politics

35 h. ago Voices: Labour can’t hit ‘working people’, so now they’re after people who used to work

Whatever weasel words they may use to justify any changes to inheritance tax, the message is clear: you’re better off not making money under Labour, because they will get you in the long run, writes Chris Blackhurst

Events

35 h. ago Reeves accused of ‘punishing families’ with inheritance tax raid – that still ‘won’t fill Labour’s blackhole’

Former government economist Jonathan Portes told The Independent changes to inheritance tax would not raise enough to plug the UK’s multi-billion-pound fiscal shortfall

Politics

41 h. ago 'Politics of envy': Fury as Labour opens the door to an inheritance tax raid on Middle England as ministers fail to deny push to end tax

Dame Diana Johnson, the policing minister, failed to rule out changes to the so-called 'death tax' this autumn amid growing concerns about the state of the public finances.

Politics

4 d. ago Nice house? Labour wants to tax it, Kemi Badenoch tells Middle England

The Tory leader says Rachel Reeves saw property as a 'cash machine' to plug the gap in the public finances.

Politics

4 d. ago KEMI BADENOCH: Labour's council tax rises are a cynical raid on the very people who keep this country going

Rachel Reeves 's business-squeezing budget has led to rising unemployment, lower growth and a stagnant economy. As ever, Labour's answer is even more tax rises.

Politics

4 d. ago Labour police boss blasted after handing £5k of taxpayers' cash to help save Liverpool Pride

Emily Spurrell, a former councillor and PCC for Merseyside, made the donation of public cash to 'save' Liverpool Pride, which was under threat because of a shortage of funds.

Economics

6 d. ago Labour lays the ground for September tax bombshell as Rachel Reeves looks to fill £50billion black hole in nation's finances

Labour is laying the ground for tax reforms this autumn that could spell misery for millions.

Economics

6 d. ago Christmas dinner warning as costs could rise after Labour tax changes

Two-thirds of retailers predict they will have to raise prices further this year

Events

6 d. ago Paddy Power's owner predicts 40% profit surge amid calls for gambling tax hike

Calls are growing for Labour to target the "massively under-taxed" betting sector as Paddy Power, one of the industry's biggest players, revealed bumper results

Economics

6 d. ago Pro bull riding league claims Dr. Phil ‘orchestrated’ bankruptcy to avoid litigation and ‘jumpstart’ new media venture

Professional Bull Riders, the largest pro bull-riding league in the world, claims that Dr. Phil’s Merit Street Media owes it $181 million for breach of contract and unpaid fees.

Politics

7 d. ago Reeves confirms Treasury reviewing gambling taxes – UK politics live

Gambling tax reform is being strongly promoted by Gordon Brown, the former Labour PM who also spent 10 years as chancellorRushanara Ali, the homelessness minister, is facing criticism for hiking rent on a property she owns by hundreds of pounds, reportedly just weeks after the previous tenants’ contract ended, PA Media reports. PA says:Four tenants who rented a house in east London from Ali were sent an email last November saying their lease would not be renewed, which also gave them four months’ notice to leave, the i newspaper reported.Ali’s property was then re-listed with a £700 rent increase within weeks, the newspaper said. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Londoners face ‘maximum’ council tax hikes to limit huge funding blow from Labour reforms, warns IFS

Cash for inner London town halls will be 11-12% lower in 2028-29 in real terms under the reforms, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies

Events

7 d. ago Inner London boroughs will be big losers in Labour's plan to shake

Cash for inner London town halls will be 11-12% lower in 2028-29 in real terms under the reforms, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies

Politics

8 d. ago Keir Starmer REFUSES to rule out tax hikes in the Budget after economists warn Labour is facing a huge £50bn black hole in public finances

The Prime Minister said he didn't recognise 'some of the figures that are being put out' amid suggestions that Rachel Reeves is on track to miss one of her fiscal rules.

Economics

8 d. ago Voices: Rachel Reeves must learn a hard lesson from Labour history – wealth taxes simply don’t work

Taxing unearned income is no way for the chancellor to plug her £41bn spending black hole – the better-off are best placed to find a way around paying it, says Chris Blackhurst

Economics

8 d. ago Keir Starmer pushes back at economists' claims Labour is facing a £50bn black hole

The Prime Minister said he didn't recognise 'some of the figures that are being put out' amid suggestions that Rachel Reeves is on track to miss one of her fiscal rules.

Economics

8 d. ago Which tax rises could the government introduce to fill the £41bn black hole in Britain’s finances?

Labour’s pledge not to raise taxes on ‘working people’ leaves the chancellor with a limited number of workable options to fill a massive black hole in the public finances

Economics

8 d. ago Claire's Accessories' high street future at threat as owner files for bankruptcy

Claire's Accessories faces an uncertain future in the UK after its parent group filed for bankruptcy in the US on Wednesday.

Events